Hairdressing shop in Washington, D.C
Diego's Hair Salon
is a hairdressing shop located in the
Dupont Circle
neighborhood of
Washington, D.C.
, United States. Founded in the 1960s by
Italian American
Diego D'Ambrosio, the salon has become a neighborhood institution frequented by politicians, religious leaders, diplomats, and
Supreme Court Justices
.
The City of Washington, D.C., recognized D'Ambrosio's contributions to the community by renaming a nearby street in his honor and by the Italian government, which named him to the
Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity
. He died in late October 2021 at the age of 87.
[1]
[2]
[3]
History
[
edit
]
Two years after D'Ambrosio emigrated from
Italy
to the United States in 1961, he began working in his first hair salon.
[4]
D'Ambrosio opened his own shop in 1965.
[5]
Around 1980, he moved his business to its current location, The Moorings, a nautical-themed, former apartment building at 1901 Q Street,
N.W.
, in Dupont Circle.
[4]
[6]
The Moorings is an Art Deco-style building designed by architect Horace W. Peaslee in 1927 and is designated as a
contributing property
to the Dupont Circle Historic District, listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
in 1978.
When he moved to The Moorings, D'Ambrosio raised the price of men's haircuts to $20,
[4]
the same rate he charged for about 35 years until he changed it to $25 in March 2016. Rupert Cornwell of
The Independent
described Diego's as a "modest and friendly establishment and the photos on its walls capture Washington: unglamorous but beautiful, exuding power yet oddly homey, with history around every corner and great men's shadows on every wall."
[7]
D'Ambrosio's honors
[
edit
]
In 2009, D'Ambrosio was awarded the
Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity
at the
Italian Embassy
, in recognition of his promotion of his Italian heritage.
[4]
On April 23, 2010,
D.C. Mayor
Adrian Fenty
joined other local government officials in designating the 1900 block of Q Street, N.W., as Diego D'Ambrosio Way (an alternative street name). The Diego D'Ambrosio Way Designation Act of 2010 "officially recognizes Diego's contributions to District of Columbia residents and the city's business community."
[5]
Famous clientele
[
edit
]
Diego's customers have included Supreme Court Justices
Warren E. Burger
and
William Rehnquist
, Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu
, former British Prime Minister
John Major
, Washington Archbishop
Donald Wuerl
, Apostolic Nuncio
Pietro Sambi
, former Italian ambassador Giovanni Castellaneta, Mayor
Adrian Fenty
, and
members of the D.C. Council
.
[4]
[8]
By D'Ambrosio's count, he has cut the hair of 75 ambassadors, 17 presidents and prime ministers, and other officials representing a total of 135 countries.
[8]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Remembering Diego D'Ambrosio"
.
Ciao Washington!
. October 25, 2021.
Archived
from the original on October 26, 2021
. Retrieved
October 26,
2021
.
- ^
"Beloved barber of official ? and unofficial ? Washington has died"
.
NPR.org
.
Archived
from the original on October 29, 2021
. Retrieved
October 30,
2021
.
- ^
Vogt, Bailey (October 26, 2021).
"Iconic D.C. Barber Diego D'Ambrosio Died At 87"
.
Washington City Paper
.
Archived
from the original on October 1, 2023
. Retrieved
February 28,
2024
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
Goodman, Christy (April 24, 2010).
"For hairstylist to the powerful, a place of honor"
.
The Washington Post
. p. B01. Archived from
the original
on April 25, 2010.
- ^
a
b
"Fenty Administration Dedicates 'Diego D'Ambrosio Way'
"
. District of Columbia: Mayor's Office. April 23, 2010. Archived from
the original
on July 8, 2010.
- ^
Williams, Paul Kelsey (January 2010).
"Scenes from the Past"
(PDF)
.
The InTowner
.
41
(7): 8.
ISSN
0887-9400
. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on July 13, 2011.
- ^
Cornwell, Rupert (November 16, 2003).
"Heroes, hookers and Hillary. It's a DC thing"
.
The Independent
. Archived from
the original
on February 20, 2009.
- ^
a
b
Roth, Zachary (October 1, 2005).
"The Italian Job: Where Washington Insiders Get Their Hair Cut"
.
The Washington Monthly
.
TheFreeLibrary.com
.
Archived
from the original on October 20, 2012
. Retrieved
June 30,
2010
.
External links
[
edit
]